Conflicting reports recently have emerged regarding the question of whether Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis will hold out of training camp in the wake of a contract given to left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson that initially looked to be pretty, pretty good (thanks to the info leaked by his agent) to pretty, pretty mediocre.
A source close to Revis tells us unequivocally that no decision has been made.
Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News recently reported that Revis is “fully prepared” to hold out beyond August 10, the day on which he would forfeit a year’s credit toward free agency. And while Revis may indeed be “fully prepared” to hold out, no decision has been made.
Mike Lombardi of NFL Network reported on Friday night that Revis will show up on Day One of camp, due to the fact that a holdout (as we pointed out several weeks ago) would result in $20 million in guaranteed money that Revis is due to earn in 2011 and 2012 becoming not guaranteed.
Said the source close to Revis, “I don’t know where Lombardi got that. No decision has been made.”
Moreover, Revis continues to have a possible ace in the hole. As we explained last month, some league insiders believe that, after Revis elects to pull the plug after the fourth season of his current deal (which his rookie contract gives him the right to do), the Jets will attempt to buy back the final two years at base salaries of $5 million in 2011 and $15 million in 2012 -- and the league will find that the effort violates the 30-percent rule.
It’s still unclear why the Revis contract initially was approved if the last two years will be deemed to run afoul of the 30-percent rule. But if the NFL ultimately scuttles years five and six, Revis would become a free agent, and it’s possible that the precise language of his contract prevents not only the use of the franchise tag (it does) but also the use of one of the restricted free agency tenders (it’s unclear whether it does).
Meanwhile, regardless of how this all turns out, Revis has yet to determine his next move. Given that his uncle, Sean Gilbert, once sat out for an entire season, it’s impossible to rule out a holdout at this point.